33 Spectacular Landscaping Ideas
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Although we
don’t want to compare your yard to a mullet haircut, the back of your yard
– and for that matter, any part of your property that doesn’t face the
street – is where you can use a more casual approach to landscape design and
plans.

Make Every Space Beautiful

Consider
backyard areas to be a blank canvas for exploring garden projects or even
creating multiple hardscapes where little plant life (and maintenance) is needed.
While the front yard landscaping typically adheres to the same architectural
style as the back of your home, backyards can be anything you want them to be.

When drawing up
plans for the landscape design of your backyard, size and topography are the most
important considerations.

If your backyard
is large and flat with few trees, perhaps you’d love to sod or sow it with a
low-maintenance groundcover such as Bermuda grass and then focus on small
gardening projects closer to your house structure. (Potted geraniums are
perfect for summer spice and pansies are fabulous for fall flair.) A flat, open
space can be divided into zones and assigned a purpose (i.e., summer vegetable
garden, sitting area with bench, natural flower patch, English garden with hedge,
etc. If too many pesky pine trees and their trails of cones and straw are
getting in the way of your visions for a backyard full of flowering shrubs and
full-sun perennial flowers, remember you can always cut down old trees and
plant new ones.

If your backyard
is on a hill, fencing and retaining walls can be great additions to your
landscape plan. Embankments above retaining walls make great spaces for beautiful
spreaders such as liriope, which stays green in the winter and sprouts purple
buds in the spring.

For rocky
terrain, flowers that enjoy the company of pebbles and stones work best. Try
dianthus or alyssum for rocky soil areas. For drier terrain, hardy shrubs such
as bee brush and flame honeysuckle can be your best friends.

Small backyard
spaces can be manicured so beautifully (if looking for inspiration, just keep
in mind what city dwellers do with tiny rooftop and balcony spaces) that size
truly doesn’t matter. You may create a strip of grass surrounded by pencil
hollies or a fence draped in ivy or simply fill every available inch with your
favorite annuals. Or perhaps you’d rather go natural with stonework and pavers
and sprinkles of violets? Either way, a small backyard can be a big asset!

It’s true that
“anything goes” in backyard landscape design. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas
in your backyard. Just remember that your backyard is part of your home’s
overall curb appeal, even if it isn’t in view to every car or jogger passing
by. Have fun, but keep it pretty.